of Redheads and Jaws
by madame.alexandra
Summary: Kate runs in to a mysterious redhead in the Norfolk office. Said redhead has a message for Gibbs. Jibbs...er, sort of. Seriously, is anything I write NOT Jibbs?


_A/N: I am dying waiting for "Devil's Triangle" and I have no school work to do and I watched a Kate episode yesterday so HERE._

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><p>Former Secret Service Agent Kate Todd felt slightly out of place when she walked into the NCIS personnel office in Norfolk, Virginia. Her discomfort was understandable; she was dressed in the recognizably prim-and-proper black-and-white suit, nylons, and sleek pumps required of a United States presidential security agent, and the other she had come into contact with in this office had could be described as sporting "business casual".<p>

She frowned, tucking a lock of dark hair behind her ear, and approached the woman sitting at the front desk.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked, looking at Kate's outfit with interest.

Kate presented the woman with the paperwork in her hands.

"I'm here for an ID," she said.

She hated that she'd had to drive all the way to Norfolk, but the Navy Yard's office was renovating their ID equipment. She was supposed to have started work two days ago, but her lack of official ID, and thus official employment, had prevented it—and her new _boss_ was not being particularly _understanding_.

The woman at the desk handed Kate a slip of paper with a number on it and Kate thanked her, turning to wander around the outer office while she waited. It was oddly empty this afternoon—in here, at least. There had been many people to stare at her overly professional attire in the lobby and hallways of the building.

The only other person in the room, besides the receptionist, was a woman with red hair, and she was so immersed in a book with Egyptian symbols on it that Kate was positive she hadn't even realized she wasn't alone anymore.

Besides, the redhead was making Kate feel most out of place, as she was wearing faded jeans, a t-shirt, and had her hair messily swept up into a green hair clip. Kate frowned again and continued to look around the room, eyeing pictures of the Virginian landscape.

"You're new around here."

Kate blinked, surprised at being spoken to. She turned in the direction of the receptionist briefly, and then realized it must have been the redhead.

"How can you tell?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. Kate gestured to her outfit, indicating she wasn't surprised that she looked out of place.

The redhead smiled. She laughed.

"I used to dress like that," she said, tilting her head. She marked the place in her book with her forefinger and nodded at Kate's black pumps. "You can't wear heels at a crime scene."

Kate sighed, examining her familiar shoes.

"I suppose not," she conceded grimly. She looked up through her lashes and surveyed the redhead's attire. "But jeans and a t-shirt? No wonder NCIS isn't taken seriously."

"I am on leave to receive a new assignment," the redhead responded. She looked at Kate's suit and pursed her lips. "NCIS makes it practice to refrain from being as black-tie as the Secret Service."

"How did you know I was Secret Service?" Kate asked, surprised.

The redhead smirked, arching an eyebrow pointedly.

"A benefit of not being taken seriously is that others often underestimate you," the redhead said a little sharply. She narrowed her eyes. "I would think that, as a woman in this field of work, you'd understand that."

Kate gave the redhead an apologetic look. It had been slightly catty to insult the casual way in which the other woman was dressed. Kate tucked her hair behind her hair again and folded her arms, pointing at the redhead's book.

"You work overseas?"

The redhead nodded, glancing at her own book.

"Counterterrorism, since the US invasion of Iraq," she answered.

The redhead stood, looking at Kate intently.

"From the Secret Service to Norfolk," she mused. "You'll be bored."

"Oh, no," Kate shook her head. "I'm stationed at the Navy Yard. Major Crimes," she corrected.

The redhead nodded.

The receptionist picked up her phone as it rang. The redhead looked at her, and after a moment, the receptionist pointed at the redhead, and to the back of the office.

"Agent Sharp's waiting in room B six," she said.

The redhead nodded. She turned back to Kate.

"Any idea who you'll be working with?" she asked, with the air of someone making final conversation.

Kate grimaced a little without thinking. She nodded slowly.

"Special Agent Gibbs," she answered.

The redhead, who had bent to pick her cell phone off of a table, did a double take, her eyes meeting Kate's and holding the brunette's gaze; unreadable. She straightened up slowly, clutching her cell phone, her lips pursed.

Kate narrowed her eyes, sensing something in the redhead's reaction.

The redhead bit her bottom lip, lifted her eyes up, and then smirked, shaking her head slightly.

"You know him?" Kate asked eagerly, hoping to get some advice for working for such a hard-ass.

The redhead did not answer. She extended her hand.

"It was nice speaking with you Agent…?"

"Todd," Kate said quickly, shaking the redhead's hand. "Kate Todd."

"Kate," the redhead said, turning.

She nodded curtly, and started to leave. She turned back, touching the top of her cell phone to her lips.

"Agent Todd," she said thoughtfully. Kate lifted her brows, waiting. The redhead smiled and lowered her phone. "Do me a small favor. Ask Jethro if his jaw still hurts."

Kate opened her mouth, confused, but didn't have time to say anything else before the redhead disappeared to her meeting.

Kate hadn't even gotten her name.

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><p>Kate passed her brand new NCIS badge over to Gibbs for inspection. He threw it a cursory glance and thrust it back at her, affording her a quick nod. He pointed at an empty desk.<p>

"Get to work," he said.

It was early. DiNozzo wasn't here yet. Despite the early hour, Gibbs was on his second cup of coffee—no, make that _third_; he was tossing the second one and getting up, presumably to go for another.

"Don't wear heels to a crime scene again," he growled without looking at her.

And that reminded her.

"Gibbs," she said, jumping out of her seat. She leaned over the bullpen, crossing her arms, and waited for him to acknowledge her. He stopped and looked, waiting with a glare on his face.

"I met a woman who knew you in the Norfolk office," she said.

He did not look impressed or interested.

"Lots of women know me, Kate," he said cryptically. He was so dry she couldn't even tell if he was being funny. She laughed slightly, just in case he was joking.

"Okay," she said. "Well, this one wanted me to ask you if your jaw still hurts."

Gibbs' expression changed. Shock, understanding, and then something else snapped through his icy eyes so fast Kate almost didn't catch any of it. He reached up and rubbed the side of his face roughly. _Jenny was in Norfolk?_ He snorted and gave Kate a look, resuming his march towards the elevator.

"Gibbs?" she asked, exasperated.

He stepped onto the elevator and just sort of smirked at her, saying nothing.

When the doors closed, Leroy Jethro Gibbs indulged in a flash of memory—first, a very distracted, turned on redhead inadvertently stretching her hand out and shoving his head forcefully back into the headboard, using so much pressure it bruised his jaw and gave him a hell of a headache—and then, another flash, of the same redhead curled up next to him, half-heartedly trying to apologize through fits of laughter.

He rubbed is jaw again.

It was the first time since Paris that he had thought of Jenny and only associated her with physical pain.

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><p><em>I didn't beta this worth a damn. Oh well.<em>


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